Macedonia By Beth Steadman http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Beth-Steadman Location • Macedonia is a country located on the continent of Europe. • The capital of Macedonia is Skopje. • The population (number of people) of Macedonia is Population currently about 2,087,171 people. • In words that is two million, eighty-seven thousand, one hundred seventy-one people. • The current population of the United States is roughly 310,000,000 people. Geography • The country of Macedonia is located in southeastern Europe a little north of Greece. • This country shares borders with Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bulgaria. • Macedonia is about the same size as Haiti or the state of Vermont. • The majority of the landscape found throughout Macedonia is rocky and mountainous. • Macedonia occasionally has had massive earthquakes. • The majority of the people in this country live in the valleys. • Macedonia is home to more than 50 lakes. Lake Ohrid is a few million years old! This lake contains some species of fish that are so old they only exist as fossils everywhere else in the world. Climate • Winters here are typically rather cold and snowy, though not quite as cold as some of its neighbors due to winds blowing in form the Aegean Sea below Greece. • Summers in Macedonia are warm. Sometimes, temperatures can reach as high as 107 degrees Fahrenheit! 1 Famous 2 Landmarks • Mount Korab 3 • Church of St. John at Kaneo 4 • Church of St. Panteleimon • Stone Bridge • Ancient Theatre of 5 Ohrid • Ohrid City - city 6 with about 365 churches; known as the Macedonian Jerusalem Language • The country of Macedonia had two official languages: Macedonian and Albanian. • About two-thirds of the population speak Macedonian. This language is also spoken in areas of Albania, Romania, and Serbia. • Other languages spoken throughout Macedonia include: Roma (language of the Gypsies), Turkish, Vlach, Romanian, and Serbian. • Just like the population of this country, the languages spoken here are very diverse. Government • Head of State: President Gjorge Ivanov • Head of Government: Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski • The country of Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy. • The prime minister of Macedonia is in charge of running the day-to-day business of the government. This prime minister is chosen by the parliament members. • The president is elected by the people of the country for a 5 year term. • The parliament (Sobranie) is made up of 123 members who are elected every 4 years. • With such a diverse country, in order to fairly represent all ethnic groups, a certain number of parliament seats are given to each region of the country. Traditional Clothing Money The currency of Macedonia is the Macedonian denar. • In Macedonia, children attend school from the ages of 6-18. Schools • Primary (elementary) school lasts until 9th grade. • After primary school, students can attend a gimnazija to take general classes to prepare for university (srednouciliste) to train for specific jobs. • If families can afford it, students can attend expensive private schools; if not, they can attend inexpensive public schools. • Some kids attend after- school activities like language classes, music or fold dancing lessons, sports clubs, etc. Life in Serbia • In Macedonia, grandparents play an important role in the lives of children. Sometimes grandparents even live in the same home as children and their parents. Due to this importance, children were traditionally given the same name as their grandfather or grandmother. While not as common today, some children still receive a modernized version of their grandparent’s name. • Children who live in villages often help their parents with the farmland and animals. • Children who live in cities don’t typically spend as much time with chores, instead spending the majority of their time on homework. • When not in school or studying, children enjoy playing outside, playing sports, skiing, sledding, playing computer games, watching Turkish TV shows, etc. • Wrestling Sports and • Soccer • Basketball Games • Handball • Volleyball • Swimming • Karate • Swimming • Hiking • Boating • Spelunking (cave exploring) • Skiing • Sledding Common Foods • Breakfast foods: bagels, burek, yogurt, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. • Lunch foods: soups, roasted pork or chicken, fish, rice, pasta, beans, potatoes, etc. • Dinner foods: lunch leftovers, sandwiches, etc. • Meats – pork, chicken, lamb, beef, fish • Sides – rice, pasta, vegetables (eggplant, beans, cucumbers, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.) • Burek – similar to baklava; made with flaky filo dough and savory fillings (cheese, meat, spinach, leek, etc.) • Sutlijash – a kind of rice pudding • Ilinden – August 2nd; celebration of those who fought for freedom from the Ottoman Empire; celebrated with military parades and a Holidays speech from the president • Christmas – celebrated on January 7th by Christians by fasting (going without certain foods and drinks); two days before Christmas, women make a special bun called kolacinja; then neighborhood friends celebrate with singing and dancing around a bonfire; children go door to door singing traditional songs for kolacinja, fruits, candies, and coins; the final day of fasting before Christmas (Badnik) ends with a large feast; for this feast, a special loaf of bread or pie is baked with a coin hidden inside and whoever gets the coin in their piece is believed to have good luck for the coming year • Ramazan Bajram (aka Eid al-Fitr) – largest Muslim holiday; feast held at the end of Ramadan (the holy month of fasting); during the last day of Ramazan Bajram, Muslim men attend early morning prayers at the mosque and visit their ancestor’s graves; women spend time preparing food for a large family lunch Other Interesting Facts • According to legend, Macedonia was founded by Macedon, the sun of the god Zeus. • In Macedonia, people celebrate their name day (imenden) in honor of the saint they were named after. This name day is more important than their birthday and is celebrated with gifts from family and friends. • The famous Mother Theresa (a famous nun who helped poor people in India) was born in Macedonia. • Macedonian tradition says that eggs painted before dawn can protect the home from evil. For this reason, Macedonian Christian women and children often wake up early on the Thursday before Easter to dye Easter eggs red. • In 1963, a massive earthquake destroyed most of the capital city of Skopje. Please make sure to visit my store on Teachers Pay Teachers for more great geography resources, and other social studies activities! Follow me for information about new products, discounts and freebies! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Beth-Steadman .